Kuwait << koo WYT or koo WAYT >> (pop. 60,000) is the capital and chief port of the country of Kuwait. It lies on Kuwait Bay, a natural harbor in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf. Kuwait is the center of a large urban area that has most of the country’s people. It is a modern city whose economy is supported by the country’s enormous petroleum wealth. Residential areas lie between ringlike roads that form a grid around the city center. Many of the city’s Kuwaiti citizens live in attractive, villa-style homes. Most non-Kuwaitis live in modest apartments.
Modern Kuwait was founded in the 1700’s by the Utub (sometimes spelled Utab), a branch of the Anaza tribal confederation of north-central Arabia. Kuwait became an important port and shipbuilding center in the 1700’s. After World War II ended in 1945, the country of Kuwait became an important producer of petroleum. Wealth earned from petroleum led to the growth and modernization of the city. Most manufacturing in the city involves petroleum-related products. From August 1990 to February 1991, troops from Iraq occupied the city and the rest of Kuwait. The Iraqis killed many people and greatly damaged the city. The damaged areas were restored after the occupation ended. See Kuwait [country].
